Printing apparatus



Aug. 23,A 1927.

G. H. WLTERS PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Jan. 18 1927 Waltem ,fm/ enfof' eolye Herz Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

uNlrEn s-'rarus PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE HENRY WALTERS, OF BRISTOL, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO GEORGE MANN AND COMPANY LMITED, OZE LONDON, ENGLAND.

PRINTING AEPARATUS.

Application led January 18, 1927, Serial'No.

My invention comprises improvements in and' relating to printing and consists ofan improved apparatus for obtaining impressions of transfers vfrom any suitable flat printing surface, and applying the impressions or transfers to fiat surfaces, for instance paper.` v u n The object of this invention, is to enable any number of impressions or transfers to be obtained from the printingsurfacewith ease and accuracy. and tov eliminate the usual system of obtaining a transfer in litho work and to obviate the'necessity for employing the usual scraper or press for this purpose.

Printing apparatus according to my invention comprises a hollow resilient pad adapted to be distended by fluid, and adapted to be pressed alternately upon a flat printing surface so as to receive animpression of the printing matter and. upon a flat surface to which the impression is to be transferred, means being provided for correctly aligning the pad with the printing surface and the receiving surfacek sothat successive impressions received and applied by the pad correspond accurately with each other, and means ,being provided to ensure that the pressure applied for transferring the printing matter to the padcorresponds with the pressure applied in transferring the printing matter from the pad to the surface to which the impression is tobe transferred.

The said .pad is constituted by a hollow chamber having a liexible surface for engagement with the printing surface', such flexible surface being adapted to be spread evenly over the printing surface under the iniuence of pressure and against. the influence of a resilient fluid medium, for instance air or liquid within saidchamber.

Such a pad may be formed from a casing open upon one face vand provided with a cover extending over this open face and consistingV of india-rubber or other ysuitable flexible and resilient material. The` pad thus formed is lilled with air or other suitable fluid whichl maybe under pressure and which will cause the resilient cover to be extended to a curved formation The resilient' pad is mounted in ak suitable frame or press adapted to be raised and lowered so that the curved resilient surface of the pad may be pressed alternately upon 161,778, and inGreat Britain January 20, 1926.

the printing surface from which an impression is to be taken and then upon the surface to which the impression is to be trans ferred. The printing surface is coated or inked in the usual manner before the resilient pad is pressed upon it, and when this is done the curved face of the resilient pad will be squeezed out Vso as to conform to the printing surface spreading gradually out over the same so. as to obtain an impression of the *device thereon. l/Vhen the pad is again raised it will return to its original curved form. A similar operation is performed to produce the impression on the surface to which it is to be transferred. The pad will again spread out under the pressure so as t-o accommodate itself to the surface of the material onto which the impression is to be transferred. As the two surfaces from which the impression is taken and to which it is transferred are both flat, and in they same plane, then an identical impressionv of the printing surface will be transferred onto the surface to which the transfer is to be made. Any desired number of such impressions may be obtained in this manner and if desired, two, three or more impressions may be superimposed oneupon vthe other withgreat accuracy and without showing any smudge or distortion of the transferred impression.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, I have appended hereto a sheet of dra-wings illustrating an embodiment of same and wherein Y Fig. lis a side elevation, the press por.- tionV of the resilient pad being shown in section.

Fig. 2 is an end view, and f Fig.l 3 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the two positions of the pad and press during printing operations.

Referring to the drawings the printing surface l is adapted to have pressed against it a pad 2 adapted to receive an impression of the printed matter. For this purpose the pad is carried by a suitable pressL 3 which can be of anyA suitable construction which will enable the pad to be moved up and down and the requisite pressure obtained. In the embodiment illustrated an ordinary screw press is shown in which a rotatablescrew 4 is fed through a bush 5 fixed in a sleeve 6, the lower end of the screw a engaging rotatably in a non-rotatable element 7 adapted to slide up and down inside the sleeve 6. To determine the degree of pressure to be applied to the pad at each operation an adjustable abutment 8 is provided to arrest the rotation of the screw l when the boss 9 of the handles 10 engages it. rIhis adjustable abutment may be of any7 suitablel construction, and can be a bolt or stud 11 as shown in Fig. 1 threaded into the bush or the top of the sleeve 6, a lock nut 12 being provided to keep the bolt or stud inselected position. i

The sleeve 6 is carried by the free end of an arm 13 extending from a vertical sleeve 1li which is adapted to rotate about a xed pillar 15 extending upwards from a suitable base 16, consequent-ly the arm 13 can be swung about the axis of the pillar 15. The radius of the arm 13 can be adjustable by supporting the arm for linear adjustment in a socket 13, extending radially from the sleeve 111. To correctly align the pad 2 with the printing surface a fixed, and if desired adjustable in position, stop 17 is provided to limit the swinging movement of the arm 13, this stop 17 having a cranked upper end 17EL having a pivoted lever 18 adapted to be turned away to allow the arm 13 to pass and to fall by gravity to lock the arm 13 each time it is engaged against the stop 17 in order to hold the arm'stationary during the operation of pressing` the pad against the printing surface. A further stop device 19 corresponding'to the stop 17 is provided for positioning the pad in proper alignment with the surface 20 adapted to receive the impression from the pad. The surface 20 to receive the impression from the pad would of course be in the same plane as the printing surface 1, and preferably would be supported by the same frame. In Fig. 3 is shown the two positions of the pad.

The pad is of a resilient nature and has a curved surface whereby when it is pressed against a fixed surface it can be spread out flat. In practice I prefer to employ a piece of flexible material 21 having a circular periphery which is securely fastened by suitable means to a circular plate 22. The material of the element 21 may be rubber having its outer surface suitable for receiving and transferring ink impressions, and it is united to the plate 22 so as to provide a sealed chamber 23 for the accommodation of a suitable resilientmedium, for instance air or liquid. The configuration of the pad when the chamber 23 is charged with fluid is substantially part spherical, and having a radius which does not give the pad an exaggerated curvature. A suitable non-return valve 24 is preferably provided to enable t-he chamber 28 to be charged to the desired pressure, and a pressure indicator may also be provided. 'The radius of the pad would preferably be struck from a point on t-he axis of the sleeve l6.

My improved apparatus for transferring impressions is particularly applicable to litho work and may be employ-ed instead of the usual method of transferring an impression by means of a ytransfer paper as is now frequently done.

I'claim2- 1 1. A printing apparatus comprising a hollow resilient pad adapted to be distended by fluid and adapted to be pressed alternately upon a flat printing surface so as to receive an impression of the printed matter and upon a flat surface to which the impression is to be transferred, vmeans for correctly aligning the pad with the printing surface and the receiving surface so that successive impressions received and applied by the 'pad correspond accurately with each other, and means to ensure that the pressure applied for transferring the printing matter to the pad corresponds with the pressure applied in transferring the printing matter from the pad to the surface to which the impression is to be transferred.

2. A printing apparatus comprising a hollow resilient pad adapted to be distended by fluid and adapted to be pressed alternately upon a flat printing surface so as to receive an impression of the printed matter and upon a flat surface to which the impression is to be transferred, means for correctly aligning the pad with the printing surface and the receiving surface so that successive impressions received and applied by the pad correspond accurately with each other, and a stop to ensure that the pressure applied for transferring the printing matter to the pad corresponds with the pressure applied in transferring the printing matter from the pad to the surface to which the impression is to be transferred.

3. A printing apparatus comprising a hollow resilient pad adapted to be'distended by fluid and adapted to be pressed alter*- nately upon a flat printing surface so as to receive an impression of the printed matter and upon a flat surface to which the impression is to be transferred, means for correctly aligning the pad with the printing surface and the `receiving surface so that successive impressions received and applied by the pad correspond accurately with each other, a stop to ensure that the pressure applied for transferring the printing matter to the pad corresponds with the pressure applied in transferring the printing matter from the pad to the surface to which the impression is to be transferred, Vand means for adjusting the stop to enable the extent of the pressure to be predetermined.

4l. Printing apparatus comprising a hollow rubber pad adapted to be filled With fluid, a slidable press for operating` the pad, a stop for limiting the movement of the press and pad, a movable arm on which the press is mounted and stops :tor locatingthe arm at two positions in one of which the pad receives the impressions and in the other of which it applies them. I

5. Printing apparatus comprising a liollon7 rubber pad adapted to be filled with fluid, a slidable press 'for operating the pad, a stop for limiting the movement of the press and pad, a movable arm on Which the press is mounted, a swivel about which the. arm is adapted to turn, and stops for locating the arm at tivo positions in one of which the pad receives the impressions and in the other of which it applies them.

l6. Printing apparatus comprising a hollow rubber pad adapted to be lilled with fluid, a slidable press for operatingthe pad, a stop for limiting the movement of the press and pad, a movable arm on Which the press is mounted, a svvivel about which the arm is adapted 'to turn, a lsocket on the swivelling member in which the arm engages and is adapted to sliderfor linear adjustment, and' stops for locating the'arm at two positions inone ofl which the pad receives lthe impressions and in the other of which it applies them;

GEORGE HENRY WALTEEs. 

